


Transparent

by aj_linguistik



Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga), ソードアート・オンライン - 川原礫 | Sword Art Online - Kawahara Reki
Genre: Coming Out, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Planning, Pregnancy, Trans Character, Trans Female Asuna, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Trans Male Kirito
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:28:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24638359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aj_linguistik/pseuds/aj_linguistik
Summary: Seeing one another for who they are has always been crystal clear- and Kazuto and Asuna are okay with it. They're transgender, and it's not that complicated. They're very opaque about it when it comes to their friends. Why come out if there's no need to? They're loved for who they are, not what's in their pants. But when something comes up that will force them out to the group, how do they deal with being so suddenly...transparent?
Relationships: Kirigaya Kazuto | Kirito/Yuuki Asuna | Asuna
Comments: 28
Kudos: 64





	1. A Reason to Come Out

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Comment one- I had this in my folder for a while don't ask. Comment two- I'm posting this to look busy while I'm walking someone through how to format on AO3. Comment three-
> 
> I had a cute idea where Kirisuna is a trans couple: both are trans! Trans rights! Happy pride! And we know my dumb ass is a sucker for babyfic, so here is me, once again loving and appreciating trans people who want to have a family naturally. Also, yes, it's after midnight.

With an awkward smile on my face, I walked into the waiting room and glanced around for my sister’s face. Suguha jumped up out of her seat and came over to meet me. She raised an eyebrow at me, probably wondering what I was smiling about. I thanked the nurse who walked me out and headed out of the clinic still getting a funny look from Suguha. We made it all the way to the curb before I stopped in my tracks and stretched my arms up as high as I could and yawned.

“You gonna tell me what you’re smiling about?” she asked. “Not that I’m bothered, big brother—but it’s not normal for you to leave a gyno appointment smiling.”

I had to laugh at that jab. Dysphoria certainly played a mean role in how I viewed getting that sort of exam, but being an adult, I knew it was better to just be safe than sorry. I could probably easily play it off as being happy that nothing bad was going on. A small part of me wanted to be honest with my sister about why I’d gone in for this appointment, yet the rest of me knew better than to tell her first. Asuna deserved to be the first person to know. I hummed and patted my stomach.

“How about lunch?” I said, aiming to change the subject. “I’m starving!”

Suguha scrunched up her face a bit.

“Fine, but I get to pick the location since you’re being weird,” she said.

Unable to argue, I tagged along after her, eager for a bite to eat. She picked a ramen bar close to the doctor’s office. We both ordered a bowl, and I dug into mine so quickly I thought my sister would choke on her laughter. She shook her head at me, giggling, and jabbed me in the side. I gave her a sideways glance.

“It’s not going anywhere,” she said. “Don’t choke over there. You’re eating like a teenager.”

I slurped up some of my noodles and squinted at her.

“You never did tell me what all this grinning is about,” she said. “And don’t say ‘what grinning’ because even with half of a bowl of ramen noodles in your mouth, you are still beaming like you won the lottery.”

I swallowed what was in my mouth.

“Am I?” I asked.

She nodded.

“It’s almost as if…” she trailed off.

Her eyes got wide.

“Almost as if what?” I asked.

She started shaking her head.

“No, no, no, no way!” she said. “I…I was going to say you’re practically glowing, but that’s a weird thing to tell a guy who just left a gyno exam.”

I hummed, not really wanting to answer that, and picked up my bowl to slurp down more of the broth. I thought up a way to respond to her while I drank.

“I don’t know if I should be worried about that hum or not,” Suguha said.

I set the bowl down.

“Well, I have been having good luck with my skin looking very nice lately,” I said, touching a hand to my cheek. “Asuna might have also tried out a new foundation on me this morning for fun and I wasn’t all that motivated to wash it off.”

Suguha smacked my shoulder.

“Oh, shut up!” she said, laughing. “Surely _something_ ’s making you all smiley.”

All I could do was grin at her.

“I just feel really good today,” I said. “You know? I got through a whole exam without feeling that dysphoric nausea and I’m kind of proud of myself.”

Her expression relaxed. I was safe for now. Eventually, I’d have to tell her the truth. But for now, I was sticking to my guns; Asuna would be the first to know. I walked down to the train station and thanked Suguha for accompanying me. She’d been my appointment buddy for as long as I’d been going to be supportive and help curb my discomfort. But today, she had no idea that she’d help me go in for a very exciting reason. As soon as she was out of sight, I slipped onto my train and cupped my hands over my belly.

“Sorry, Sugu,” I mumbled. “I’ll tell you soon.”

The truth was that for a couple of years, Asuna and I had been trying very hard to have a baby. It was a difficult decision and process for us. At first, we’d discussed adoption, but Asuna admitted that she wanted to try for a baby naturally, if I was okay with it. We went back and forth about it, discussing this and that, but the biggest thing wasn’t that I felt weird about carrying a baby for her—it was that she didn’t want to come out to our friends yet.

So, we came to an agreement. We would try for a baby naturally, if we could, and we would tackle things as necessary. If that meant that we needed to keep quiet about the pregnancy if and when it happened, I was willing to keep quiet for her sake. She’d asked that if she wasn’t ready to tell our friends she was transgender, would I be willing to adjust my contact with the others until she was ready. I was unsure at first, but I didn’t think she would make me hide my condition forever from them. I agreed to do what was necessary to make my wife comfortable first and foremost.

With all of that out of the way, we dove into the trying part headfirst. It was more difficult than I think either of us had anticipated. About a year prior to this very appointment, I’d had my first false positive. It happened a couple more times. My doctor had explained that it was possible I’d conceived those times, but the embryo hadn’t implanted itself. The information stressed me out quite a bit. I went home and quietly cried on Asuna, telling her I was the problem. I think I’d mentally given up, presuming I was always going to have difficulty getting pregnant.

But today was different. I hopped off of the train at my stop and hurried home. Asuna had gone out with Shino earlier, doing a bit of fun shopping around for cute outfits on sale. I entered the house and announced I was back. I waited for a moment. Asuna shouted back a greeting. She was in the kitchen. My stomach was suddenly full of butterflies. I slipped into my house slippers and made my way to the kitchen.

Asuna’s back was facing the door. For a moment, I stood there quietly, watching her hum a tune and toss things into a crock pot for later. She straightened up and turned around, flashing me a huge smile. She held up her hands to point out her outfit, which was definitely something she’d bought today. I smiled at her.

“As always, you’re stunning in anything you pick out,” I said.

She blushed a little and came over to greet me with a quick kiss. I took both of her hands in mine and squeezed them.

“Is something the matter?” she asked.

I shook my head.

“No, actually,” I said. “I’ve got really exciting news.”

Her eyes widened. I think she knew where this was going. I reached into my messenger bag and pulled out my paperwork from the doctor. I set it down on the counter and flipped through the items until I found the thing I was looking for. I pulled it out and handed it to her. Asuna put one hand over her mouth. Her eyes started to fill up with tears. I wrapped one arm around her waist and kissed her cheek.

“We finally did it, Asuna,” I said. “You’re a mommy.”

The ultrasound image shook a little in her hand.

“You’re pregnant?” she asked.

I nodded. I moved my hand from her waist to her arm and gently rubbed it.

“That’s our baby,” I said. “Everything worked the way it was supposed to, this time. I have to admit…I…”

She turned to me just in time to see me burst into tears. Asuna wrapped her arms around me and rubbed my back. Saying it out loud really made it feel real for the first time. I’d kept my calm up until now, but I let out all of the tension now, safe at last in her arms. I buried my face in her shoulder and cried until it slowed down to a hiccup. She patted my back and then ran her fingers through my hair.

“It’s been a stressful couple of years for you, hasn’t it, Kirito-kun?” she said, laughing good-naturedly.

Asuna pulled away and cupped my cheek in her hand. I nodded again. She stroked the tears off of my cheeks. I placed my hands over my belly. There really was a growing baby inside of me. I couldn’t feel it just yet, but it was there—thriving.

“How far along are you?” she asked.

I wiped one of my cheeks off and took a deep breath.

“Nine weeks,” I said. “We’ve made it nine whole weeks.”

When the first few tries hadn’t even made it a week, it felt like the biggest accomplishment in the world. I smiled at Asuna, and she smiled back at me.

“Now the trouble is telling everyone,” I said.

She hummed and looked down at my belly.

“How long do you think we have before you start showing?” she asked. “You’re pretty thin, so I can’t imagine it’ll be easy to hide once you do.”

Asuna ran her hand down my front.

“Good question,” I mumbled.

She pulled up my shirt and tugged at the waistband of my jeans.

“What are you doing?” I asked, laughing.

“I bet you haven’t even realized your pants are already getting tighter,” she said, sighing. “As expected of you, though. It won’t be very long before your belly starts poking out at this rate. It’ll be obvious in a few weeks, I’m sure.”

I put my hands on her shoulders and smiled at her.

“Hey,” I said. “I won’t tell a soul until you’re ready,” I said. “Even if it means I have to play off my weight gain or avoid people until you want to tell everyone. Whatever is most comfortable for you, that’s what we’ll do.”

A relieved smile appeared on her face.

“I’m sorry I’m making things difficult,” she said.

I shook my head.

“You aren’t making things difficult,” I said. “Not one bit. We just don’t have as much time as we’d like to be able to prepare ourselves. It would have been nicer to know sooner, but either way, I’m letting you call the shots on this and I am very excited to start our little family no matter how you want to tackle this.”

Asuna pulled me into a deep kiss. I awkwardly chuckled a little bit but adjusted myself to kiss her back. When our lips parted, we remained pressed against one another with our foreheads and noses touching. Our eyes met. Hers were sparkling with excitement and joy. She deserved this; she deserved to get to be a mom.

“You’re going to be such a wonderful mother,” I told her, slipping some of her hair behind her ear.

She laughed and ruffled my hair.

“And you’re going to be a good papa,” she said.

She stepped away and checked on her cooking pot of dinner.

“Oh, and Kirito?” she said.

“Hmm?”

She jabbed a finger into my chest. There was a reassuring smile on her face.

“Our baby _will_ make it this time,” she said. “Because I’m going to protect you both and keep you both happy and healthy.”

I laughed but deep down, her words meant everything to me. Having failed a few times already, I feared losing this baby as well. But we were going to do everything we could to make this work. It was two big steps at once. And both of them were going to work out—becoming parents _and_ coming out to our friends.


	2. Family is Different

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Had this in my folder a bit wondering if I wanted to change it, decided not to. Gonna probably write the next chapter fairly soon still. Hang in there!

A light shaking of my shoulder woke me up. I blinked a few times and waited for my eyes to focus on the frowning face in front of them. Asuna suddenly laughed. She leaned over closer to me and kissed my cheek. It dawned on me that I’d fallen asleep on the couch while watching something with her and Suguha. Asuna’s hand squeezed my shoulder.

“Is the little one making you tired?” she whispered.

I hummed and situated myself to sit up straight and stretch. Now that she mentioned it, napping was one of the things I’d started doing more. Aside from nausea and frequently having to pee, that is. I glanced over at Suguha, who was looking at us rather suspiciously. She knew something was up, based on my odd behavior the other day at the gynecologist, but I don’t think she’d connected the dots. Obviously, Suguha knew I was trans—I was her brother, after all. She didn’t, however, know about Asuna. I sighed and made a face.

“What?” Asuna said.

I grimaced.

“I’m hungry…but I’m nauseous…” I mumbled.

She laughed.

“Let me get you something to snack on,” she said.

As she dashed off, I felt a bit guilty for having her wait on me like that. But she’d been acting that way for three days now. She knew there was a baby and it was her mission to keep me as destressed as possible. I leaned back into the couch, yawned, and slipped my hand up my shirt to rub my stomach. Suguha came over to sit next to me and plopped her head on my shoulder.

“You feeling okay?” she asked.

I nodded.

“Just a little sick to my stomach today,” I said.

It wasn’t entirely a lie. I’d been very lucky this far to have pretty good days. I’d been feeling nauseous for a few weeks, but it hadn’t been the level of throwing up I would have expected from being pregnant. Today was pushing it a bit, though. Asuna seemed worried that I might actually puke this time, since she was suggesting only putting something light in my stomach. She reentered the room with some crackers and cheese.

“Here, try this,” she said.

“Thanks,” I said.

I picked up a cracker with some cheese and stuffed it in my mouth. It had that funny taste of something you eat when you don’t want any food. I told myself to suck it up and eat. This wasn’t about me. I needed to keep something in my belly. Asuna handed Suguha a cup of coffee and sat down on the other side of her.

“So, I heard you turned down Nagata again,” she said. “He’s still been really persistent to go out with you. Why not give him a shot?”

Suguha rolled her eyes.

“He’s just not my type,” she said. “And it’s the persistence that irritates me. If he’d asked once and was okay with it and then eventually we grew closer, so he asked again, it wouldn’t be so annoying. But he just asks and asks and asks.”

I chuckled.

“Poor Recon,” I said.

Suguha jabbed me in the ribs. I almost choked on the cheese I’d just shoved in my mouth. Asuna gave my sister a funny look.

“Be nice to your brother,” she said.

Suguha and I glanced at each other.

“Sorry, you are a little sicky today,” she said. “I won’t jab you again.”

I nodded.

“Much appreciated,” I said.

I rubbed the area she’d poked, silently grateful she hadn’t jabbed me in the gut. There wasn’t any proof that I’d seen or heard about that told me it was dangerous to get jabbed like that while pregnant, but I couldn’t be too sure. I think I was just on edge considering the history with false positives. Until I saw some growth, I wasn’t going to feel very safe. For now, I allowed myself the silly thought.

I kept munching on the cheese and crackers while Asuna and Suguha talked about her love life. It wasn’t that I was uninterested. I just felt tired and sick. I did fine to just stay in the room with them for another ten minutes. My stomach, however, finally won the battle. I wrapped one arm around my belly, apologized to Asuna and Suguha, clamped my hand over my mouth, and ran for the bathroom.

Everything I’d just eaten came up in a matter of seconds. If this was an isolated event, I’d be grateful. Asuna and Suguha came and checked on me. At this point, Suguha had a very suspicious look on her face. I glanced over at her and forced a smile.

“M-must be some kind of bug,” I said, awkwardly laughing. “Sorry I’m not feeling too good.”

She hummed.

“Maybe I should let you two be,” Suguha said.

I could see the skepticism in her eyes. The dots were connecting. The tiredness. The getting up to pee too much. The strange response to a medical exam I usually hated. And now this. My sister wasn’t someone you could just fool like that. I apologized to her again for my state. Asuna saw her out, and then hurried back to find me curled up on the bed groaning. She rubbed my back.

“Still feeling sick?” she asked.

Sighing, I nodded my head.

“Do you think Sugu knows?” I mumbled.

Asuna changed how she was stroking me. Her fingertips ran down my spine. I relaxed and allowed myself to enjoy the sensation. I kept one hand wrapped around my belly. Her touch felt good, but the feeling in my stomach wasn’t going away just like that. I rubbed my underbelly while internally begging the nausea to die down.

“Are you saying you think she’s put the pieces together?” Asuna asked.

I nodded again.

“She might have guessed it,” she said. “But she might also just be concerned that you’re appearing sick. Fatigue isn’t something tied only to pregnancy, you know. Unless she asks you, there’s no way to know what’s going through her head. Were you wanting to ask her or tell her?”

I frowned.

“That’s up to you, Asuna,” I said.

She laughed. I felt her hand rest against my belly.

“Kirito, she’s different,” she said. “Your sister already knows you’re trans and accepts you that way. She’s family. If you want to tell her we’re having a baby, that’s okay with me.”

I sat up quickly.

“Really?” I said.

Asuna nodded.

“Of course,” she said.

I scrambled out of the bed.

“Where are you going?” she asked. “I thought you were feeling nauseous?”

I flashed her a grin.

“I have to catch my sister!” I pronounced.

Without waiting a minute longer, I called Suguha’s phone. She picked up and asked what I wanted. I asked her how far she’d driven. She told me she’d actually not yet left the driveway and was about to back into the street when I’d called. I told her to stay put. I dashed outside to her window and waved at her. She rolled it down.

“You perked up awful quick,” she said. “Is everything okay?”

Frowning, I sighed.

“Actually, I still feel really pukey…” I muttered.

Suguha gave me a look.

“Then go lay down!” she said. “See, Asuna’s running out here to come make you lay down! What’s so important that you have to fight your nausea to come and hover by the car?”

Asuna poked her head around me, nervously laughing. I turned my head and smiled at her.

“Sugu, Asuna wants to tell you something,” I said.

Asuna flushed a little red.

“R-right now, Kirito?” she stammered. “Well…okay.”

I couldn’t help myself. I hoped she’d forgive me for my eagerness later. But it would be hard for me to keep the exciting news from my family. I wanted Suguha and my parents to be excited with us. Asuna drew in a deep breath and tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

“Y-your brother and I have something in common,” she said.

Suguha raised her eyebrows.

“What do you mean?” she said.

Asuna put her hand to her chest.

“I’m…transgender,” she said. “And I’m sorry I haven’t told you, but I’ve been so grateful to Kirito for always seeing me as who I really am. My family struggled to see me as a daughter, but Kirito has always seen me as a girlfriend and wife…and…”

Suguha frowned.

“And what?” she asked.

Asuna laughed.

“And mom,” she said.

Suguha nodded.

“Ah, yes, to Yui,” she said, giggling a bit. “I guess that would sound weird to me, wouldn’t it? But I remember big brother getting so excited over Yui calling him ‘papa.’ So, it makes sense. I’m glad you told me…but did big brother really have to run outside and stop me to tell me?”

Laughing, Asuna and I both nodded.

“Because that’s not all we wanted to tell you,” Asuna said.

She pulled me back against her and placed a hand on my belly. Suguha’s eyes widened a bit. I rested my hands on top of hers. Asuna gave me a kiss on the cheek.

“Sorry the morning sickness kicked in so bad right now,” I said. “It hasn’t really been that bad so far. I’m a little surprised.”

My sister slammed the gearshift into park and jumped out of the car to grab me by the shoulders. She shook me gently back and forth.

“You _ARE_ pregnant!” she exclaimed. “I _KNEW_ it!”

I laughed.

“Careful, Suguha!” Asuna said. “Don’t jostle him! He’ll throw up!”

So that answered that question. Suguha hugged us both and congratulated us on our newest family member. We asked her to please not out Asuna to the rest of the group before she was ready, and she readily agreed, promising Asuna that she’d be as careful as she was with me. I told them both now that I’d proclaimed the news I needed to go and lay back down, which got a laugh and a very stern order to go do so immediately.

I went and curled back up on the bed, sighing deeply as I let out all of my tension. Hopefully this decent response meant that Asuna would be a little less scared to come out to the rest of our friends. I wouldn’t push her, though. It would be alright. We would take things one step at a time, making sure she was ready.


	3. Bump

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: As promised, I actually wrote a chapter even though I already had one on file. I hope you enjoy!!

Yawning, I picked up the sugar and dumped it into my teacup. I snatched up a spoon and started to stir it up. I heard Asuna shuffle into the kitchen. Her step was pretty uppity. I glanced over my shoulder and smiled at her. She came over, we shared a quick kiss, and then she opened the fridge to pull out the eggs.

“Have you eaten breakfast yet?” she asked.

I swallowed.

“I’m fine with just some tea,” I insisted.

Asuna gave me a sharp glare as she pulled out a pan and some plates. I supposed I wasn’t getting away with this. I turned around and leaned back against the counter, lifting up my tea to blow on it. She reached over to turn the burner on, then looked back at me to say something and then let out a gasp.

“What?” I said.

“Flatten your shirt!” she said.

I raised an eyebrow at her.

“What?” I repeated.

She marched over to me and took the liberty of smoothing down my shirt against my stomach for me. Her expression relaxed into a soft smile. She cupped my belly with one hand and leaned over to kiss me again. I felt her rub her hand up and down slowly. She glanced back down at my belly. I followed her gaze.

“Your little belly’s poking out,” she teased.

Asuna wandered back over to the stove and started to fix a couple of omelets. I stared down at my belly and pressed my hand against my shirt to flatten it. Sure enough, there was a bit of a bump present there. My chest suddenly felt very warm. I set my mug down and covered my mouth with my hands, letting out a quiet sob. Asuna pulled me over beside her and rubbed my arm.

“Goodness, Kirito-kun,” she said. “You’re doing a good job, please don’t stress too much. Try to relax. You’ll feel a lot better if you do.”

I nodded but still clung to her side while she cooked. She knew why I was so worked up. She still told me to perk up and enjoy my breakfast, though. It wasn’t long before we were sitting down to enjoy two very well-made omelets. I had to savor every bite—Asuna’s cooking truly was the best. When I finished, I sat back and held my stomach.

“Good?” Asuna asked, laughing.

I hummed and took a sip of my tea.

“Amazing,” I said. “I almost want another.”

She stood up. I reached over to grasp her arm.

“You don’t have to,” I told her.

Asuna shook her head.

“If you want one, you’re getting one,” she said. “With as much as you’ve been throwing up, you deserve to be able to eat two omelets when your belly’s feeling good.”

Sighing, I gave in. I was hungry anyways. She fixed me a second omelet, which was just as good as the first, and then we dressed ourselves to get ready for the day. It was Saturday, and we had a couple of things to check off of our list. First was a doctor’s appointment to check on the baby. Second was a group outing. We had, of course, told Suguha that she wasn’t to let anyone know about the baby. I promised to give her appointment details later, if they were interesting enough.

Asuna wanted to come with me to the doctor, but today wasn’t a good day for her. She had some work things to finish up in the morning, so she stayed while I went to the doctors for the first time without someone with me. I felt a little weird not having Suguha there. I managed to get all of the way into the examination room before I started to feel a little nervous. I fiddled with the examination robe as I waited. When the nurse finally entered, those nerves were replaced with a much more shocking feeling.

The nurse and I locked eyes. How could we not? We’d recognized each other almost instantly. I blinked a few times, trying to make sure I was seeing things correctly. She did so, too. Before long, she took a step forward, glanced down at her clipboard, and then looked back at me with a skeptical look on her face.

“Kiri…gaya…Kazu…to,” she said slowly. “I…I’m sorry if this is forward, but…”

I nodded.

“Yulier,” I said, jumping to the conclusion for her. “It’s been a while. I haven’t seen you and Thinker since that little celebration party at Dicey Café. How are you?”

She blinked a few more times and then let out a laugh.

“I’m doing well,” she said. “And what about you? I wasn’t aware that my new patient as an OB nurse would be…you, of all people, Kirito.”

I let out an awkward chuckle. I cupped one hand over my belly.

“Yeah, it’s…it’s admittedly a little weird, isn’t it?” I said.

Yulier shrugged and stepped over to start taking my vitals.

“Maybe at first,” she said. “It’s not very often I get an openly transgender patient. People are still shy about it, I suppose. I think even before I knew it was you, it struck me as odd and brave that you were coming in under a masculine name to check on how your baby was doing. But I’m happy that you feel comfortable enough to both be brave and bring a little one into the world.”

I smiled.

“Frankly, I’m a bit nervous being here,” I said. “Asuna couldn’t make it because of something she had to do. And even then, my sister is busy and she normally comes to my appointments with me for emotional support.”

Yulier laughed.

“Your pulse is a bit high,” she remarked. “But according to your medical file, you’re in pretty good shape. Just relax. I promise I won’t make anything weird. I’m just here to check on things and make sure you and the baby are nice and healthy.”

I nodded.

“R-right,” I said.

She had me lay back and roll up the gown so that my stomach was visible. I felt grateful that I was still wearing my underwear, though I figured at some point I’d be asked to remove them for a more thorough examination. Yulier reached over to spread something on my belly which was a little cold. I knew from last time that she was prepping me for an ultrasound.

“You’ve got a little bump!” she said. “Do you know about how far along you are?”

I smiled and nodded, laughing.

“About twelve weeks, I think,” I said. “They said I’d made it about nine weeks at the appointment where they referred me to come over here.”

Nodding, she put the machine against my belly and took a look inside.

“From the look of things, that number sounds right,” she said. “The baby’s growth matches with what we should see at twelve weeks. Everything looks normal and your vitals looked fine. And since you’re at twelve weeks, we can actually do something pretty cool here.”

She switched machines she was using.

“If this works, I think you’ll like this.”

* * *

After the appointment, I met up at the rendezvous point with Asuna and Shino, who were already knee-deep in conversation by the time I walked up to them. The girls turned to look at me and I got two interesting faces. Asuna looked like she was trying not to laugh, while Shino looked very puzzled.

“Is your stomach bothering you?” she asked.

I glanced down and realized I’d been holding my belly in my hand. I quickly dropped it and awkwardly laughed while I tried to think of what to say to that.

“Nah, I was thinking about those omelets Asuna made for breakfast,” I said.

Asuna gave me a pointed look that told me I wasn’t being very convincing, but Shino didn’t question it any further. We boarded the train to head over to Dicey Café, where we’d be meeting up with the others. I found I had a hard time focusing. My brain was still back at the appointment. It was harder than I’d thought it would be to keep quiet about this. My heart was practically full to bursting. I wanted to blurt out to Shino that I was pregnant and very happy that I’d gotten to see my baby in an ultrasound today. But I kept my mouth shut.

As we hopped off of the train however, I stopped in my tracks and glanced over at the restrooms. I’d had a bout of morning sickness at work before, but being out with Shino in tow was completely different. I clutched my belly and covered my mouth with one hand. It was dash to the bathroom to throw up or it was throw up down my front right here. I flashed Asuna an apologetic glance before I took off for the bathroom. I barely made it into the stall before I threw up. I jumped when I felt a hand on my back.

“Kirito, why on earth did you run into the women’s room?” Asuna groaned.

In response, I threw up a second time. She gently rubbed my back while I hovered over the toilet, worried that I might throw up again. As happy as I was about the baby being healthy, I would be much happier when the sporadic vomit sessions stopped. Asuna helped me out of the stall and over to the sink. She apologized to a few of the women as she helped me clean myself up.

“Is your girlfriend okay?” one lady asked.

I gripped the edge of the sink.

“H-he’s my husband, actually,” Asuna stammered. “I’m really sorry he ran in here! His stomach was upsetting him, he just kind of dashed!”

The woman waved her hands.

“Oh, my apologies!” she said. “I just presumed because he has the badge on his bag.”

I froze and stared into the mirror. I think Asuna must have been doing the same behind me. We both turned and looked down at my messenger bag, blinking at the very obvious advertisement of my condition just latched onto the bag for everyone to see. Oblivious to our distress, the woman congratulated us on our baby and then left as if nothing had happened. I yanked the badge off of the exterior and stuffed it into the bag before we left the bathroom.

“Do you think Sinon saw that…?” I mumbled.

Asuna frowned.

“I have no idea,” she said.

Shino greeted us as normally as ever, though, making no mention of the badge (or its absence) and asking if I felt okay enough to go out with everyone. I told her I was feeling fine and stopped at three vending machines on the way to Dicey Café to purchase a bag of umeboshi sour candies to inhale. Both Shino and Asuna asked if eating all of that sugar was going to make me throw up again, to which I just shrugged. If Shino hadn’t caught the badge, then she had no way of understanding that throwing up could happen at any moment and with seemingly no reason.

When we arrived at the café, we apologized for running late, telling them there had been a bit of a bathroom incident. Suguha, of course, ran over to check on me and discretely asked if the baby was making me sicker lately. I just gave her a bit of a strained smile and said I was fine. In any case, while our group night was wonderful, I was happy to get home and lay across Asuna’s lap lazily after our very filling party dinner. I rubbed my stomach and sighed.

“I don’t want to say that I’m stuffed because I’m worried my body will take that as a signal to throw up,” I grumbled, “but I feel like I’m gonna pop.”

Asuna laughed and patted my belly.

“You wanna tell me what had you grinning so wide when we met Shinonon at the train station?” she asked. “I presume that grin meant everything’s looking good.”

I nodded.

“Ah, but Asuna,” I said, grasping her hand and grinning up at her. “I got to hear our baby’s heartbeat.”

There was a tinge of loving jealousy in her eyes. I sat up and wrapped my arms around her to kiss her. She ran her hand up and down my belly.

“Next time, I want you to come with me,” I said. “I want you to hear it, too.”

She nodded.

“What did it sound like?” she asked.

I kissed her again.

“Like the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard,” I said, trying not to choke on a sob.

Asuna smiled at me and cupped my cheeks.

“I’ll be there next time,” she said. “I promise.”


	4. Pies, Pants, and Panic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hi I had no idea how long this chapter was until I hit Ctrl + A and then I was like oh my god I just kept GOING lol.

I dug to the bottom of our bag from a fast food run and pulled out the last item, a sweet taro pie. Before Asuna was done with her conversation with the clerk behind the counter, half of the pie was already down the hatch. She turned back around and giggled at me, reaching over to brush some of the crumbs off of my cheeks. I just let her do it while I shoved the rest of the small treat in my mouth.

“Is that going to be enough?” she teased. “The way you’re eating, you’d think you were starving.”

Humming, I thought about that for a moment before I spoke, making sure to chew and swallow everything before I risked spitting dessert on Asuna’s face.

“Honestly, I feel like a bottomless pit,” I muttered.

She giggled again and discretely dropped her hand down to my belly.

“Is there anything the little one wants?” she asked.

I laughed.

“Yakisoba,” I said, without a second of hesitation.

Asuna told me that as soon as we were done with our store run, she’d make me as much yakisoba as I liked. Sighing, I agreed to her terms. She handed me a pair of pants and then gave me a knowing look. I took them, nodded, and slipped into the dressing room. As I closed the door behind me, I heard Asuna start talking to someone in a hushed tone. I figured that person must have been Suguha, who was with us on this adventure.

The issue was that my pants no longer had room in them. On the one hand, that was a good thing. It meant that everything was going well and that our baby was healthy and growing. On the other, men’s pants don’t exactly fit right around a baby bump. The unfortunate options left to me—wear maternity clothes or make a bigger men’s pants size work. I stared at myself in the mirror and sighed.

“I don’t suppose I _can_ get away with stretchy shorts or sweatpants at work,” I said.

At fifteen weeks, there was no denying I now had a gut. To anyone unaware, it probably just looked like I’d gained a fair bit of weight. It was enough to probably turn the eyeballs of my friends, who had never seen me as anything but a twig. A stranger, though, probably wouldn’t think much of it. I frowned and flattened my shirt against my belly. I made a face, realizing that my shirt was hiding a lot more of my circumference than I’d thought.

I decided to get the maternity jeans on and get that over with. As expected, they fit rather comfortably and didn’t sit awkwardly under my belly like my current pants did. When I switched to the men’s pants, I couldn’t decide if a belt would fix the issue or if I would just have to let them hang under my belly button a ways. Sighing, I walked out of the changing room, once more in my sweatpants.

“So? A verdict?” Asuna asked.

I mumbled my reply.

“The maternity jeans fit better…” I said.

Suguha laughed, good-naturedly, and gently rubbed my arm.

“Are you going to be comfortable wearing those?” she asked. “I’m sure we could make the men’s pants work if we do some hemming.”

I frowned in thought and glanced between the two pairs of pants. Either way, it was still going to be a bit awkward as soon as it was obvious I was pregnant and not just putting on weight. It would be better to go with the pants that fit better than to spend extra on some that would need extra help to stay on. As I thought about it, a store employee walked over to us and smiled at us, probably bored and eager to help someone.

“Can I help you find anything?” she asked. “I see you’re looking at maternity wear with the wife. Do you need any help with figuring out sizing, miss?”

She’d turned to Asuna and was smiling innocently. It was a fair mistake. As much as I didn’t want anyone presuming anything, it at least meant that both Asuna and I passed well. I’d been worried about whether or not people would start to pick me out as transgender when I started showing, but for the moment it looked like I wouldn’t have trouble until it was clearer. Asuna laughed nervously and shook her head.

“No, no, um,” she said. “I’m not the one who’s pregnant.”

The woman then turned to Suguha, who flushed red. I almost wanted to laugh. I stepped in to save my poor little sister, prepared to take the bullet as the big brother.

“They’re…for me,” I said.

The woman blinked at me, trying to figure out if I was pulling her leg. Once more, I couldn’t help but be delighted that she thought I was joking with her. I almost hated to spoil the fun by telling her I wasn’t; I’d forgotten a bit of what that euphoria-amidst-worry felt like. I placed a hand on my belly and let out a nervous laugh.

“I know, I know,” I said. “This seems a little backwards from what you’re used to. But for personal reasons, I’m doing the carrying for my wife. She’s trying to help me figure all of this out since it’s been a while since I had my legal sex marker changed.”

I hoped I’d smoothly explained it in short without giving away that Asuna was trans as well. The woman just gave us a funny smile, told us that if we needed help she’d be in the ladies’ department, and then she scurried off to find another customer.

“Kirito-kun,” Asuna said. “I appreciate how brave you are about coming out to a random stranger, but I was just going to say I had a sister who asked us to pick up some jeans. Honestly, why didn’t you just let me talk?”

A weird noise escaped from my throat as I thought about what she’d said. Where on earth was my head at? Suguha’s tension finally broke and she burst into a fit of giggles. She wrapped her arms around me from behind and rubbed my belly.

“Is my little nephew or niece making your brain act silly, big brother?” she teased. “Oh!”

I glanced at her over my shoulder.

“What do you mean ‘oh’?” I said.

She turned me around and flattened my shirt against my belly.

“Your shirt was really hiding that bump,” she said. “I was a little surprised—you don’t look all that big until you flatten your shirt. What the hell have you got in there, big brother? A small squash?”

Laughing in irritation, I pulled her back under my arm and tousled her hair.

“Ah, what’s that? Did you just call me fat, Sugu?” I said. “That’s awfully rude of you!”

Suguha let out a cry of distress.

“Big brother, act your age!” she whined.

Asuna cleared up her throat.

“Okay, so let’s grab a few pairs that you like, and then let’s hit our last stop before we go home to make some yakisoba, alright?” she said.

Glancing at one another, Suguha and I silently agreed that there would be no arguing with Asuna. I let go of her, she straightened up, and we set about our business. I reluctantly picked out some styles in the same size, naturally going for the ones that looked the least feminine in my head. We hastily zipped through the checkout without me blurting out that I was a pregnant trans man again.

Our second stop of the day was the bank. Asuna had some checks to cash and deposit, and coincidentally, so did Suguha. I told them I’d sit outside and enjoy some fresh air while they went in, which was likely a surprise to them at first, but I think both realized I was looking for an excuse to go and grab a snack and a drink. The quick lunch we’d grabbed was pretty much all gone. I walked across the way to a little crepe stand and ordered three different flavors with a small water. I waited very little time, since it wasn’t a busy day, and I was walking away with crepes in hand very shortly after. Only, to my surprise, I turned around and ran directly into Rika.

“K-Kirito?” she said.

She sounded like she was stifling a laugh. I couldn’t blame her. In order to carry all three, I’d had to shove one in my mouth partly. I sat down on the bench, set down my water, and then removed the crepe from my mouth so I could speak.

“Hi, Liz,” I said. “What are you…what are you doing out here?”

She finally let out a laugh.

“I was picking up some instant noodles for quick lunches at work,” she said. “You know, just now, you reminded me of our little adventure back in SAO. You should work on not shoving food in your mouth like that.”

I shrugged. By the time she was done talking, I’d completely demolished the first crepe and had started on the second.

“Good god, you’d think you were starving,” she said. “Are you feeling okay?”

I nodded.

“Yeah, just…burnt a lot of energy today, I guess,” I said, figuring she meant the eating speed.

She shook her head.

“You don’t look okay,” she said.

I stopped before I took another bite and blinked up at her,

“I…I don’t?” I stammered.

Her eyes looked me up and down for a moment. It was then that I realized—my shirt hid my figure fairly decently while standing, but sitting down, my protruding gut was now very obvious. I awkwardly glanced down at my belly and then at the half-eaten second crepe in my hand. The dots connected in my head. Rika sat down next to me, looking a bit concerned.

“Your weight just seems a little…” she sighed and shook her head. “What I mean is that you’ve gained a lot of weight in a kind of short period of time. Do you want to talk about it? Is everything okay with you and Asuna?”

I wanted to laugh about the misunderstanding, but I remembered then that Asuna would probably freak out if I told Rika what was going on. She couldn’t be farther from the truth. The proof of our love for one another was the very reason I’d put on a bit of weight. I had to come up with another answer for now. Eventually, she would know the truth. But until Asuna was ready, this baby was a secret outside of our family. I grinned and patted my stomach.

“Everything’s fine,” I said. “Asuna just kinda spoils me too much.”

Rika almost choked on her laughter.

“You need to watch your intake, mister,” she said, reaching over to poke me in the belly.

I rubbed the spot she poked and frowned.

“Be nice,” I muttered.

She just grinned at me. I rolled my eyes and shoved more of the crepe in my mouth. She continued her jab by jokingly rubbing my stomach.

“So, when are you duuuue?” she said, positively pleased with herself.

I, however, was unprepared for such a comment and wound up choking on my bite.

“Oh, come on, Kirito,” she said, rubbing my back. “Surely you’ve heard that one before. I didn’t mean to make you choke.”

I shook my head.

“Technically February…” I mumbled under my breath.

Rika leaned forward.

“Did you just actually give me a month?” she asked, giving me a quizzical look.

I snapped upright and waved my hand at her. Now I’d done it. I didn’t know how seriously she would take that comment, knowing that she had no idea I was trans. I was in the middle of convincing myself that she’d take it as a continuation of the joke when the entire thing was abruptly concluded for me.

“Goodness, Kirito-kun, is the baby making you _that_ hungry?”

Every muscle in my body tensed up as I turned to the other side of the bench to see Asuna. She smiled at me, and then she realized that Rika was sitting next to me. Asuna froze up. I swallowed and then slowly turned back to Rika, who was staring at me with such wide eyes that I was certain they’d fall out into her lap. Her eyes crept downwards to stare at my belly and the remainder of the snack in my hand.

“Are you…?” she stammered.

I pressed my luck.

“Am I what?” I asked.

Rika pointed a shaky finger at my belly.

“I was joking before, but Asuna just…” she said, blinking. “Holy shit.”

Glancing back at Asuna, I gave her my best ‘help me!’ look, but she looked even worse than I felt. Naturally, as Rika put the pieces together, her next question would obviously be “why isn’t Asuna the one having the baby” or something to that effect. Asuna briefly excused herself under her breath, telling me she needed a minute, and then she ran off.

“Wait, Asuna!” Rika exclaimed, jumping up to chase her.

I grasped her by the wrist. When she looked down at me with those fierce eyes, I just gently shook my head.

“Let her have some space,” I said. “We have our reasons for not telling anyone.”

Rika frowned at me, but she relaxed and came to sit back down beside me.

“I’d imagine the first has to do with you,” she said, letting out a half-laugh. “I had no idea you were even capable of something like this. I don’t think I should feel insulted—I get that you don’t want to be misgendered in this day and age. But if you’ve been capable of having a baby this whole time, why wait until you’re pregnant to tell us?”

I sighed and finished up the second crepe.

“It wasn’t that simple,” I said.

She puffed up her cheeks a little at my curt reply.

“And why are you the one doing it?” she asked. “Is Asuna sick? Or infertile?”

I shot her a warning look.

“I appreciate your concern for her, but the reason why I’m doing it is really personal to us,” I said. “If Asuna would like to tell you herself, then I have no objections. For now, I’d like you to just accept what the facts are. Asuna and I are expecting a baby in February. Who’s carrying it shouldn’t matter.”

She bit her lip and nodded.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s just a bit…weird.”

“Liz.”

We both turned around to see that Asuna had reappeared, this time with Suguha behind her a little way. I locked eyes with my sister. She nodded at me, reassuring me that Asuna was okay. Asuna walked around to the front to face us, and she bowed to Rika apologetically.

“I’m sorry to have kept this from you for so long,” she said. “I was always worried that you might see me as someone else if I told you.”

Rika shook her head and stood up, walking over to grasp both of Asuna’s hands.

“No matter what you have to tell me, Asuna, you’re always going to be one of my very best friends,” she said. “The only thing I feel bad about is not being a good enough friend to make you feel comfortable enough to share this before now.”

Asuna started to tear up. I hurriedly crammed the last crepe in my mouth, freeing up my hands quickly in case she needed some comfort in a moment. Asuna nodded and then finally looked Rika in the eyes.

“Liz,” she said. “I’m transgender.”

Rika smiled warmly at her.

“Thank you for telling me something so important, Asuna,” she said. “I’m proud of you, and I’m sure Kirito is, too…”

The women looked over at me, who was still chewing on the crepe. My mouth was too full to offer a comment, and thus, both of them doubled over with laughter. I finished up chewing, swallowed and then hopped up to pull them both into a big hug. Asuna laughed and kissed me on the cheek.

“Augh! Kirito! We’re in public!” Rika protested.

I just grinned and released them from my embrace.

“So, I suppose what you meant earlier then, Kirito, is that Asuna couldn’t have the baby because she’s the one that knocked you up,” Rika concluded.

I put on my best deadpan face.

“No, what? Who told you that? Sinon’s the baby daddy.”

Asuna reached over and smacked my arm.

“Kirito!”

I laughed and pulled Asuna back into a hug.

“I kid, I kid,” I said, stroking her hair. “Lisbeth knows you’re the mommy. I wouldn’t give away my love to anyone else.”

From behind us, Rika tossed in a snide comment.

“Maybe to Eugeo…”

Asuna and I both gasped and gave her a look.

“Nonsense!” Asuna said. “Eugeo doesn’t have the biology to make a baby!”

Rika whistled.

“Are ya’ll in a threesome with our robotic friend?” she said, chuckling. “I didn’t hear even a protest from you two about baby daddy Eugeo.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Very funny,” I said. “We’ll be sure to call him about the child support.”

With the antics over, we told Rika that we didn’t want to have any more sporadic coming out moments, so we were doing our best to keep the pregnancy on the down low for a bit. She remarked that my belly was already pretty round, but she agreed to not say anything. She then congratulated us on our newest addition and headed off on her way.

“Do you think they’ll all so readily accept it?” Asuna asked.

I smiled, wrapped my arm around her, and kissed her on the forehead.

“I know they will,” I said. “We have a good group of friends. They’ll stick with us no matter what.”

She smiled back at me.

“You really think so?” she said.

I rubbed her arm.

“I know so.”


	5. Asuna's Smile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Some snippets of Kirito being absolutely in love with his wife mixed with some plot. XD In a soft mood today, I have to say.

That fifteen-week mark at the doctor’s office changed everything. Yulier handed me information that changed everything about plans. The biggest trouble for me was somehow talking to Asuna about it. I finally had to decide on a way to break the news to her without freaking her out too much. I could hear her in the kitchen getting ready to start baking something. We were having my parents and Suguha over for dinner, since they were all safe and aware of the situation. I drew in a breath and picked up an apron I’d recently bought and made my way into the kitchen.

“So, what’s on the menu for tonight?” I asked.

Asuna hummed and ran her finger along a recipe book while I slipped on the apron. I smoothed it down over my belly, which was only looking even more obvious as I neared the twenty-week mark. If anyone looked at me and couldn’t tell, I was a little worried, truth be told.

“I was thinking pork belly,” she said.

She started listing off the seasonings she’d picked, as well as some sides, and I felt my stomach start to growl. I clutched my belly and did my best not to groan. I wanted it to be dinner soon. Asuna must have heard its complaints, because she giggled and reached over to rub my belly.

“We’ll get some food in there soon enough, Kirito-kun,” she teased.

She stood back up to look at her book again, but then she paused and turned to look at my apron. For a moment, she read it over a few times, contemplating the English sentence that decorated my chest. Over my belly, there was a printed image of an oven with what looked like dinner rolls baking in it. She finally giggled and shook her head.

“Nice try,” she said. “But remember, Kirito-kun, the English word ‘buns’ means more than one. It’s plural.”

I nodded.

“Yep,” I said. “I remember that from classes. My English isn’t _that_ bad, Asuna.”  
She shook her head.

“But you’re implying there’s more than one bun in your oven that way,” she said.

I nodded again.

“That’s correct,” I said.

The book fell off of the counter when she snapped her arms up to her mouth to cover it as she gasped.

“There’s two of them?” she squeaked out.

I shook my head and walked over to her to gently grasp her hands.

“There’s _three_ ,” I said, laughing nervously.

She stared down at my belly for a moment, and then started laughing. She pulled her hands out of mine and cupped my belly in her hands.

“No wonder you’re so big,” she said. “Here I was thinking I might be overfeeding you.”

Laughing with her, I shook my head.

“Actually, Yulier said I need to increase my caloric intake,” I said. “They’re healthy, but they need a little more nutrition to keep them growing healthily. She was just as surprised as I was to catch them so late on the ultrasound.”

I placed my hands on top of hers and smiled at her while she gazed at my belly, eyes practically sparkling with love. When she finally lifted her head, we shared a long kiss. She slipped one hand out of mine and pressed it up against my cheek. With her other hand she stroked my belly with her thumb.

“You never cease to amaze me,” she said, giggling.

I chuckled. I felt more overwhelmed and nervous than amazing. I’d been worried about losing one baby, and now there were three of them. Asuna pulled over a chair and made me sit down, insisting that I just manage cooking from the sidelines. She also handed me a very high-calorie snack and insisted that I eat up. I munched on whatever she gave me and kept her company while she cooked. As she finished up, she shooed me into the living area with another snack and told me she’d meet me there when she was done.

Rolling my eyes, I went and sat down on the couch and propped my feet up beside me. I felt uncomfortable, so I pulled one knee up and shifted my back until I felt satisfied with how I was seated. I rested one hand atop my belly and continued shoving snacks into my mouth with the other. Asuna eventually trailed in after me, already giggling when she saw how I was seated. She sat down by my feet and placed a hand on my leg.

“Comfy?” she asked.

I shrugged.

“Could be worse,” I said. “Though I feel like—”

I stopped talking when I felt something funny in the center of my belly. I lowered my snacking hand and stared down at my stomach. It was a peculiar sensation, almost admittedly feeling like gas sitting in your lower gut. But it was distinct enough for me to realize what I was feeling wasn’t my stomach disagreeing with what I’d eaten—it was close enough to how I might imagine a small fish swimming around in my belly. One of the babies was moving.

“Are you okay?” Asuna asked, frowning.

Nodding my head, I smiled up at her and gently rubbed the top of my belly.

“Someone’s moving,” I said, winding up letting out a bit of a laugh.

Asuna’s eyes immediately lit up once more. The first time I’d seen her face light up in such a manner, we’d been on the fourth floor of Aincrad, and she’d seen gondolas in the watery canals of the floor. In all of the time since then, I would never tire of that face. Every time I saw her light up like this felt like unearthing a rare treasure. Impulsively, it always made me want to kiss her. I sat up as far as I could, grasped her by the arm, and pulled her over to steal that kiss.

“Are you in a mood today, Kirito-kun?” she teased.

Sighing, I stroked some of her hair out of her face and smiled at her.

“You are the most beautiful woman in the whole world,” I said.

Her cheeks turned a bit red. I loved that I could still get her to blush from just a soft compliment. She leaned over and stole another kiss from me, this time wrapping her arms around me as she did so. Our lips locked with one another, drawing out the kiss, and after a breath, the came back together once again. My hand slipped up the back of her shirt.

“You know your parents are coming over soon,” she said, reaching up to run her fingers through my hair.

I smiled up at her.

“An hour’s enough time to share some quality time with my wife,” I said.

Asuna shook her head, but she didn’t refute me.

“If you insist,” she said, laughing.


End file.
